Rowers set to grace Clive River for the Hawke’s Bay Cup regatta

The Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club is set to host the 2024 Hawke’s Bay Cup Regatta, which will take place on January 5 and 6.

The annual competition will take place on the Clive River, which has recently had a formal name change to Te Awa o Mokotūāraro and despite always being around the new year, the date of the event is very much out of the organiser’s control.

Novice Boys division coach Ross Webb said Mother Nature has the final say on the dates.

Coach Ross Webb (left) proves footwear choice is flexible while supervising Koby Houlton and Josh Massingham at the Hawke's Bay Rowing Club. Photo / Paul Taylor

“It’s very much a tidal-controlled date, which is why we are doing the 5th and 6th this time.”

The river has deteriorated a lot over the year due to the cyclone and has left races possible but with some challenges.

“The silt build-up has now meant that there are quite large weed banks down the river and at low water you just can’t row in some areas.

“The regatta is an annual feature for the region and it will be great from lunchtime onwards from the point of view that the river will look like a river.”

The event will start at 10am on Friday, with the first day mainly set out to rank the rowers before heading into the second day.

Each race is of about 10 minutes’ duration and competitors from a range of age groups will row 2km from the base of the river to in front of the Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club shed.

“We are in for some nice racing.”

The event attracts other clubs from around the country and Webb said the idea is to “come down in the sun and enjoy”.

“We have got visitors from the Wellington region, Whanganui, Gisborne and a couple from Taupō.”

The two-day event will showcase the different disciplines within the club rowers, including novice and open competitions.

The event will have a range of food trucks and Farndon Park will be opened for car parking spaces so the public can head along and watch.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.